


Strength

by Nerdgirl001



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Abuse, But i want to be sure not to hurt anyone, Dark, F/M, I don't explicitly show any of the abuse, I'm probably going overboard on the warnings, Trigger warning for: suicide, domestic abuse, etc. - Freeform, just the aftermath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-10-17 08:18:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10590075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdgirl001/pseuds/Nerdgirl001
Summary: Scully hasn't had the perfect life by any means. Now one of the dark figures from her past has come back to haunt her.





	

APRIL 17th, 2000. TUESDAY 9:42 A.M.  
Mulder-

He'll admit. This is no X-file. But that doesn't mean that it isn't obsessively on the back burners of his mind all day. Scully is acting strangely. 

He gets her a bagel that morning just the way she likes it. It's a cheesy one with jalapenos baked into the bread with cream cheese and lox in the middle. She is happy when he gives it to her, but the look of guilt that comes over her face as she takes the first bite is something that he's never seen before. He watches her slow down as she chews, unsure if she's savoring it or regretting taking the bite in the first place. She looks hungry and tired, why hasn't he noticed all this earlier? They usual grace of her movements is replaced by a rather shaky hand as she fills out the expense report from their last trip two weeks ago. The dark lines under her eyes that appear when they've been on a long case are there now, although they haven't had a case in weeks. 

"Scully?" She jumps at the sound of his voice and turns to him, eyes wider than usual.

"Hmm?" She swallows the bite she's been chewing.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asks her and he sees her face turn a few shades paler.

She sets down the sandwich, "Yeah Mulder, I'm fine." She does not ask him why he's concerned. She must already know. 

He eyes her for a moment and she almost turns back to her work when he speaks again, "If you're not feeling well you can always go home." She seems to stiffen at his words but quickly forces herself to relax. 

"Really, Mulder I'm fine." Her hands get steadier and she takes another bite of her sandwich as if to prove this to him. 

He lets it go for now, but by mid day he is still concerned about the way she is holding herself. He can't put a finger on it, but something about it worries him greatly. 

She leaves early. Well, she leaves when her shift is supposed to end, but they always stay late working usually until dinner. She doesn't say a word to him as she packs up her things. He watches her go without saying goodbye. The silence that she leaves cuts into him. He doesn't know what he has done wrong but he's convinced he'll make it up to her tomorrow. 

He doesn't get the chance as he receives a very professional call from her early the next morning telling him that she will not be able to make it into the office. There is no explanation as to why. He wants to be angry at her, to tell her that as her supervisor he has a right to know. Instead he says it's okay and that he hopes that everything is alright.

The office is cold and dim without her. He's reminded of the times before she worked with him, back when he truly was the crackpot working in the basement. She's managed to bring a certain respectability to the office that it lacks without her. 

 

APRIL 15TH, 2000. SUNDAY 8:15 P.M.  
Scully-

She sits in her apartment and eats the frozen dinner that she's made for herself as she reads. The frozen dinners she keeps to a minimum. She hates the fakeness of them and usually prefers to make a salad or eat canned soup. Tonight is different though, she is unsure why. Maybe it's the amount of cases they've recently had. Maybe it's the packaging of the poorly made pasta that draws her in. Maybe it's whoever's knocking at the door.

She is so surprised when the first knock comes that she doesn't even stand. It takes two more rapid knocks to pull her to her feet and make her answer the door. She is expecting Mulder so much that she opens it carelessly. It swings open and she suddenly feels very exposed.

"David?" She asks, shock overcoming her and stopping her from slamming the door in his face.

"Pumpkin! Long time no see" the man smiles from the doorway, already he has his foot so that the door cannot shut. 

Scully trembles for a moment before she forces her senses to come back to her. "Get out." Her tone is icy and unforgiving. She tries to close the door but he is too fast for her.

"Aww, that's no way to talk to me Pumpkin." He pushes the door to the side and lets himself in despite her protests. He closes it behind him.

"I am well within my rights to remove you from the premises." Scully hisses at him. 

David gives her that look, the one that not too long ago would mold her to his will. She feels herself slipping, allowing him to get to her. She hates him for this, for everything he's ever done to her, but the fact remains that she's unsure as to if she'll ever get over him.

"I wish you wouldn't act in this way towards me. After all I've done for you." 

Scully is backing away from David as he speaks. The natural easy cadence of his voice is what always gets her. She wants more than anything for him to leave, "Why are you here?"

He looks so hurt she almost folds, they both stand their ground, "you disappeared." 

"You got a dirty judge to block my restraining order." She considers her gun for a moment. It is closer to him than it is to her but he doesn't know that. 

David shrugs and continues to advance toward her, "after everything I've done for you." He repeats.

She realizes her mistake too late, as David lunges forward and she is backed into a wall. He presses himself into her and she freezes.

"Pumpkin, I missed you so much." His voice has all the right yearning, but none of the love. He kisses her lips, cheek, neck. She shudders at his touch and neither know if it's from pleasure or disgust. She can feel herself folding and this time she is unable to stop herself. As the tears begin to roll down her cheeks her body goes numb. Just like old times.

He looks into her eyes and lifts up her chin, "I have nowhere else to go. Can I please stay with you for a little while?" 

Her head nods and she can't tell if it is his hand making it do so or her broken psyche. He smiles and kisses her again, this time it is a prolonged kiss in which he shoves his tongue unexpectedly into her mouth. He tastes like alcohol and cigarettes. Suddenly her senses come back to her and she shoves him away, "No." 

He looked surprised and she sees the flash of anger on his face before it returns to those puppy dog eyes and hurt pout, "what is it? What've I done wrong?" 

Her temper skyrockets. In a flash of anger she lifts her shirt and shows him the scars that he's left on her stomach. David looks down at her and she realizes her mistake. She tries to recover but it's too late.

"You're so beautiful." His voice is sincere as ever, "I told you you'd look better without the weight." 

"Screw you." She replaces her shirt and walks away toward the phone. She turns back to him, fire in her eyes. "I had to go to the hospital after the number you pulled on me. The doctors helped me get over the hold you had on me and they helped me put back on twenty pounds." 

"I thought you were a bit chubby" he says grinning. 

She shoots him a glare and dials the phone. "Hello? I need to speak to the assistant director."

David lunges at her again and this time is able to hang up the phone in the struggle. She fights back more than she ever has against him, she's impressed with herself for getting this far. It doesn't last. Before she knows it he's got her pinned to a chair in the kitchen. He looks down at her and she can see the anger in his eyes. "You're not being a very good hostess. Now, I'm going to stay here for a few days until I can get back into my feet. Agreed?" 

Dana feels the terror overtake her from this feeling, him holding her down and her being powerless to stop him. She wants to fight him, but her body and mind succumb to him. She nods, tears beginning to streak her cheeks.

"Good. Now what've you got to eat? I'm starving." 

 

APRIL 19th, 2000. THURSDAY 7:23 A.M.  
Mulder-

It's been two days now since Scully's been in the office. Mulder is now terrified that something has gone wrong. He's not sure if it's on his end or hers, but he is determined more than ever to fix it. He hasn't recieved a call yet this morning and hopes this means that she'll be arriving in the office soon. He throws pencils at the ceiling, most of them come back down and he does his best to avoid them. A few bring others down with it, the rest stay where he wants them to. He checks his watch obsessively, waiting for her to arrive. He's got a presentation ready for her, a case that even he doesn't think warrants an X-File. 

She walks into the room as another pencil avalanche decends upon him.

"Working hard?" She asks with a smile as she sits down. She's wearing a pale turtle neck, a black blazer, and matching slacks.

He grins back at her as he gathers the pencils from his chair, he leaves the ones that have fallen to the ground. She's wearing more make-up than usual, but he files this fact under 'don't care to investigate' and moves on. He gives her the presentation and they have their usual back and forth. It feels like old times and he almost forgets about the oddness of the last few days until he sees her flinch. It takes him a second to understand why. All he did was place his hand on her shoulder, but she winces quickly then rights herself as if nothing happened. This close he can see the light bruising around her eye that she had tried to cover up.

"Scully? What happened to you?" He is now crouching beside her, hands wanting to soothe her pain but unable to bring themselves to rest on her incase he hurts her again. 

"What are you taking about?" She says indifferently, as though this is just some normal Thursday morning and spooky Mulder's over reading into everything again. 

"Your eye." That's all he has to say before she stands up. She looks more scared than he's seen her before, and they chase monsters for a living.

"I'm dealing with it." She says quickly and smiles at him, expression relaxing back down.

He'd accept this if he didn't know how easy it was to fake a smile, especially when you've been doing it for a while. He gives her a look that tells her that he's not fooled and she breaks.

She doesn't say a word as the first tear runs down her cheek, taking her concealer with it. "Don't." She says forcefully as he opens his mouth. He moves to comfort her but she walks away from him and out of the office. He walks to the doorway and sees her turn into the woman's bathroom.

He walks degectedly back into the room and switches off the projector. Throwing himself into his chair, he dials the phone. Skinner picks up the other end.

"What is it agent Mulder?" 

He sighs and explains to him Scully's predicament as far as he can see it. Skinner silently listens as he speaks. When he is done Skinner asks if she's given him a name. He thinks back to the phone call from Wednesday, she told him that a friend was in need of her help.

"David." He says definitely.

Skinner sighs, "I feared as much. Is she in the office now?" 

"Not as of now, she's in the restroom as far as I know, but-" he is cut off.

"I'm sorry Mulder, I've got a call on the other line." 

Mulder waits, phone pressed to his ear. Ten minutes go by and he is in contact with neither of them. Finally the phone is picked up again. 

"You still there Mulder?" Skinner asks.

"Still here." 

"Good. I've been on the phone with agent Scully. She's going home. She wants me to tell you that by tomorrow everything will be okay." 

Mulder is outraged, "what do you mean? What's going on? Sir, I can't help her if I have no clue what she's going through." 

"She's given me explicit direction not to tell you anything." 

"Oh, well that's just great." He's upset and taking it out on Skinner, he knows this and yet cannot stop himself. 

 

APRIL 16th, 2000. MONDAY 9:15 A.M.  
Skinner-

Today is a normal day, or at least it had been. Right up until this. He is listening to his secretary, who is very upset, telling him that she had heard Scully making herself throw up in the bathroom. 

What had she been getting herself into? He sighs, knowing many of her past issues. She had told him everything when she interviewed for the job. He was impressed by her openness about it all, especially since he had a folder on her that told him all the exact same information from their background check, and many people lied about things of much less consequence. She had told him about the string of abusive boyfriends, the eating disorders that she tried to overcome, the self-pitying and deprecating she works every day to combat. He had seen the promise in her then, and continues to now.

"Thanks Arliene." He says, voice gruff. She nods and turns to go. He tries to say something to comfort her but can only come up with, "I'm gonna help her." Before she closes the door. 

He picks up the phone and dials the last people he's expecting to talk to this early on a Monday morning. 

"Lone Gunman offices, this is Melvin." A voice finally picks up.

"This is assistant director Skinner. I need to know if there's been someone staying in Scully's apartment with her?" 

The voice goes quiet for a moment before there's a shuffle and a new voice comes through. Byers has always been better at speaking with clients anyway.

"Hello sir. What do you need this information for exactly?" He acts as though he's filling out a form, but Skinner knows their office. If they ever had enough foresight to make up a form it would have immediately been lost in the mayhem. 

"I think she's in trouble." He hears the familiar sounds of keys typing and knows that they are working fast. He doesn't know, however, how they manage to see into people's lives but he guesses that he doesn't really want to. 

"Yes." Langly's voice comes through. "It appears as though..." He's talking slowly because he's reading the report at the same time, or maybe he's watching a surveillance video. "Yup, she's got a man staying with her. It looks like he got there..." The line goes dead silent. 

"Langly? Langly!" Skinner demands.

"Oh, sorry. Um. It's just- she looks so afraid of him." His voice is faltering. "Uh, he got there sometime between 6 and 10 Sunday night." 

"Thanks." He hangs up the phone and has a guy feeling he knows who it is, the only one who truly scared her. He goes to call Mulder, to tell him that Scully needs his help, but he stops before even pressing the first number. He realizes the chance they've been given. Instead of dialing the X-Files office, he calls a team of agents and gets them working surveillance on Scully's apartment. He knows that this is their only chance to put David behind bars.

 

APRIL 18TH 2000, WEDNESDAY 8:00AM  
Scully-

She wakes up feeling too sore to move. David was angry that she got home late last night, even though she actually got home three or four hours before she usually does. She forces herself up and begins getting ready for the day- but there's something she's forgotten. When she gets undressed to shower she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and gasps. The woman looking back at her is that same one from ten years ago. The black eye was far from a constant, usually David never marked her where others could see. He may be an idiot, but he knows how not to get caught. The fear though, that's always there. She looks into her own eyes and can see everything that she doesn't want any one else to know. That moment she picks up the phone. As it dials Mulder's number she takes a deep breath to keep her voice from shaking. She can't let him see her like this. 

Her shower is quick and healing, although the soap burns as it runs through the cuts. She pretends that she doesn't notice. When she gets out of the hot water she can hear David yelling about something. She doesn't know if she cares to find out what. 

She tries to leave that morning with the excuse of work, but David doesn't buy it. He tells her to call off and eventually she folds, telling him that she already has. It's going to be a long day, she already knows. 

They spend the morning watching TV, mostly they watch Judge Judy but eventually even David tires of it. He flips through the channels, getting angrier and angrier as he does. She already knows what's going to happen when he snaps. 

An hour later she is limp in the chair that he has tied her to. The last of the cigarette burns still sizzling on her skin. She doesn't move anymore. She doesn't speak anymore. David walks away. 

She waits the ten minutes it takes for him to reset. 

"Oh. Pumpkin. Look at you, what happened?" He asks as he walks in again. She doesn't respond. "Let me help you darling." He speaks softly and with all the care in the world in his voice as he unties her and slowly picks her up. He walks her to the bathroom and helps her strip off her clothes as she gets into the bath he's drawn for her. 

She watches the swirling of her blood around the water. The water stings, but the soap and scrubbing brings tears to her eyes once more. She doesn't let him see. 

 

APRIL 20TH 2000, FRIDAY 6:53 PM  
Mulder-

The call comes in just as he is about to leave the office. He hasn't seen Scully all day and all of his calls to her have gone to voicemail, so he doesn't have much hope as he picks up the phone. 

"Get to her now." The voice is gruff, concerned, and recognizable instantly, but Mulder is more focused on throwing everything but his gun onto the chair and running. He knows it'll take him at least ten minutes to get to her apartment. 

He arrives in eight minutes and runs up the stairs. He doesn't know how or why the Lone Gunman know what's going on, but he doesn't care. He will do whatever he can to help her, no matter what the situation that she is in is. 

The door is left ajar when he reaches it and he calls to her as he runs inside, weapon raised and ready to fire. 

"Scullay! Scullay!" He calls as he runs through the house. The sound of running water draws him into the bathroom where he finds her, unconscious in a sea of red. "Oh god. Oh god." He says again and again as he doesn't know what else to say. He sees the red lines in her flesh and the burns that dot her body. He turns off the water and begins to drain it, grabbing her out of the bath and wrapping her in a towel. The police arrive as he does this, but he doesn't acknowledge them until he feels a pulse on her neck. "She's alive!" 

The paramedics rush over and try take her from him, he holds on tight and they allow him to support her as they begin their preliminary examination.

"Is he here?" Skinner's voice calls from the hallway. As he turns the corner he looks straight at Mulder an asks again, "Is he here?"

"Is who here?" Mulder demands, confused and concerned.

"David. Is he here?" When Mulder shakes his head he can hear Skinner say something along the lines of 'Rat Bastard' before running out the door to bark orders to the rest of the agents.

He feels Scully begin to shake and looks down in time to see her eyes open. "Oh god. Scully." He holds her close and wraps her in his jacket and her towel.

"Mulder? Did you catch him?" She looks out of it and he moves the stray hair from her face as tears begin to stream down his. Slowly she realizes what's happening. "Oh god. I'm so sorry. You weren't supposed to be here. Look, It's fake blood I swear." She knows that it's too late, that the image of her in a bath full of blood is now burned into his memory, but she still holds up her wrists and wipes the fake blood off them to show him. 

He nods, but is still crying. They sit there in each other's arms until the paramedics inform Scully that she needs to get to a hospital for her real injuries. 

The evening goes by quickly and at some point around midnight they are sitting quietly in Scully's hospital room. He wants to ask her to explain what the hell is going on, but knows he can't.

She looks at him and lets out a long sigh. "I'm sorry Mulder. You deserve an explanation." 

He holds up a hand and stops her, "you need some rest. I'll always have questions. I've learned to be patient waiting for answers." 

She smiles and takes his hand into hers, "I think you've waited long enough." She dives into the story, telling most of it to her bedsheets, but every once in a while venturing a look Mulder's direction. "David was an old boyfriend from my high school and college days. He- he never used to be this bad. I mean, he'd stop me from eating and call me a cow and he'd hurt me, sure. But he never-" she breaks off. 

Mulder squeezes her hand, "it's okay." 

She nods. "The point is, he's always had a hold on me. He'd hurt me then nurse me back to health. He'd break me down with his words then assure me that he still loved me even with all the flaws he had just pointed out." 

Mulder bites his lip, he listens as she continues but he is afraid. He has seen her scared before, it was a necessity of the job, but he has never seen her so- breakable. It kills him on the inside.

"I'm just so weak around him." She finishes her story and looks up at him. They both have tears in their eyes.

Mulder shakes his head and holds her hand to his lips for a moment before he speaks. "No. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. Most people would allow-" he tries to take a deep breath, but the image that surfaces in his mind makes his voice crack and shake as he speaks, "would allow themselves to actually be brought to that limit. You figured out a plan to get him caught and out of your life." 

She smiles up at him, but the pain is still evident in her face. She begins to speak but, as if on cue, Skinner opens the door to the room. He smiles down at Scully before looking from Mulder's tear streaked face to hers, "I hope I'm not interrupting. I just wanted to give you both an update." They nod and he continues, "we are, as of yet, unable to locate David, however," He pauses just long enough for them to see the anger that he is pushing down, "we were able to get video surveillance of his actions. Surveillance that, once we catch him, will put him away for the rest of his life." He was basically speaking through gritted teeth, having just seen the footage they recovered. 

Scully nods and gives him a small smile, "thank you sir." 

He nods, "we will find him. I promise." 

 

APRIL 23RD 2000, MONDAY 6:15 AM  
Scully- 

The phone call wakes her, although she hasn't really slept in a while. It takes her a moment to find the ringing phone on her dresser and by the time she opens it she can hear the sleepy padding of feet down the hallway. 

"Scully." She answers and smiles up at Mulder as he pushes open her bedroom door. 

He comes and sits down next to her and listens as she speaks to Skinner on the line.

"You did?" Her eyes grow wide. "Thank you sir. Yes. Do you need anything from me?" She laughs lightly, "will do sir. Thank you!" She hangs up and looks excitedly at Mulder. "They caught him." 

He smiles and wraps her in his arms, "guess that means I should stop staying the night, huh? Don't need a guard dog anymore." 

She laughs and holds him close, turning so that she is facing him a few inches away from his face. "I don't know about that. Maybe I'll let you kick around at the end of my bed tonight." His eyes glimmer and she smiles up at him. "Thank you Mulder. Thank you so much." She leans up and plants a kiss on his cheek. In an instant his hand is on her cheek and they are actually kissing. Tongues meeting and dancing around eachother for a moment before Scully pulls away, heart pounding. "I'm sorry!" She says suddenly, angry at herself for letting David creep into her mind. 

He smiles and kisses her forehead, then whispers into her ear, "you have nothing to apologize for. I am happy to wait for you." 

She smiles up at him, eyes swimming once more.

He places a comforting hand on her arm, responsibilities coming back to him. "Breakfast?" 

She shakes her head. "I'm not hungry."

He raises and eyebrow at her, "remember, you have to be eating more right now. To make up for the five days basically without food." 

She sighs and nods, knowing that he's right and appreciating how much he is trying for her.

He smiles and stands, dumping her onto the bed with a laugh, "Bacon and Eggs?" 

She nods and follows him to the kitchen.


End file.
